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Inside, you get one of VW's quality interiors, accented with some carbon-like trim. (This photo is of the two-pedal version)

Volkswagen

Yes, it's incredibly fun to drive, but underneath it all, it's still a five-door Golf, which means plenty of practicality.

To the uninitiated, this looks like any other Golf...

Abigail Bassett

...but those in the know will spot subtle details like the R badges...

Abigail Bassett

... or the quartet of exhaust pipes.

The infotainment system shares the same underpinnings as Audi's MMI, and it's very good.

Volkswagen

Big wheels keep on turning...

Abigail Bassett

AUSTIN, Texas—It’s a rare thing for a modern-day car to excite me. Don’t get me wrong, most of the cars now on the market are fantastic machines—they do exactly what they aim to do, and they do it well. It’s just rare to find an everyday car that inspires any kind of excitement. The 2016 Volkswagen Golf R, however, is a whole different animal.

I spent a week behind the wheel of the third-generation Golf R here in Austin and couldn’t wipe the smile from my face. Fast, responsive, enjoyable to drive in traffic or on the highway, and even more fun to toss around in the Hill Country, the hot hatch gets VW’s turbocharged, 2.0L, inline four-cylinder engine and puts out 292hp (217kW) at 5,000rpm and 280lb-ft (380Nm) of torque from 1,800 to 5,000 rpm. There's a choice of transmissions with a six-speed dual-clutch DSG available, but our test Golf R got the new-for-2016 six-speed manual. The EPA rates the manual at 22mpg city and 31mpg highway, but don't expect to see those numbers if you rag it.

This generation of Golf R was new for 2015, and auto journalists and consumers alike went nuts over the return of one of the best hot hatches on the market. Its grandfather, the first R32, made its US debut back in 2002 before returning in Golf R form in 2012 and 2013. At that point, dealers couldn’t keep them on the lot. The same has largely been true for the 2016 models as well. A quick search of inventory yielded no models on the lots and some dealers requesting a $500 deposit to simply test-drive one in the Austin-Dallas area.

Our test car was fully loaded to just a hair above $40,000. Yes, you read that right—a $40,000 Golf. The base 2016 model starts at $35,650, excluding the delivery charge of $820. If you want the 2017 version, you’ll have to pony up an additional $3,625 to step into the $39,375 base car that comes with VW’s Dynamic Chassis Control (DCC) and navigation as standard. For 2017, there isn’t any option to get a Golf R without those features, though you can still opt for an $1,100 savings by going with the manual transmission instead of the automatic version. Think of the Golf R as a sleeper Audi A3 and perhaps the sticker shock might not hit you as hard. It's also price-competitive with its deadliest rival, the Ford Focus RS.

Further Reading

The 2016 Golf R I tested came with navigation and DCC as well as the upgraded Fender Audio and 19-inch wheels, and I was grateful for the DCC on a few rough roads I took around town. Toggle through the settings from Normal up to Race and Individual and the car goes from sedate-if-still-fun to sharp-and-lively. On rough roads or highway runs, you’ll want to keep it in Normal to absorb more of the bumps, but Race mode is great for winding stretches of road and those times when you feel like flogging the 5-door hatchback.

Unlike the Golf GTI, the R comes with VW's 4Motion all-wheel drive system, which can push as much as 50 percent of its torque to the rear wheels. As with previous AWD Golfs, it's a Haldex system, now in its fifth generation, with an electro-hydraulic clutch connecting the drivetrain to the rear axle. When you aren’t pushing the car, the system sends torque to the front wheels for more efficiency. If you decide to have a little fun, the system senses changes in speed, acceleration, lateral torque, and yaw and adjusts accordingly. It also uses brakes to split wheel torque between left and right hand wheels (rather than a conventional limited-slip differential). During my test week with the car, I put it into ESC Sport mode (by holding the ESC button for two seconds) and got to feel some of the systems working, but in normal driving conditions with ESC on, any power transfer is almost unnoticeable. The Golf R simply feels securely planted on the road whether you’re driving in dry or slippery conditions.

To the non-enthusiast, the Golf R looks like just another Golf hatchback tootling down the road, but it’s actually a joy to drive. The 3,283lb (1,489kg) car feels agile, planted, and responsive. It’s a sleeper at a stoplight until you decide to punch it off the line and go 0-60 mph in 5.3 seconds according to Volkswagen (in the manual—the automatic does it in 4.5 seconds).

Those in the know give you the thumbs up once they get close enough to recognize the subtle cues that give it away. A carbon-like dash finish and 12-way adjustable sport seats make it feel less boy-racer than past models, and the ample back seat and rear trunk space (more than 52 cubic feet/1,478L with the seats folded down) make it useful as a family hauler if you need it.

In addition to a more refined interior, the 2016 model gets VW’s upgraded MIB II infotainment system with the added bonus of proximity sensors. For much of the time, the screen remains on now matter what feature you have it on. The selected feature (for example, the map) takes up the full screen—until you move your hand closer to the touchscreen, at which point a series of options appear along the edge of the screen. When you move your hand away from it, the options slip quickly back off-screen. This feature makes use of the entirety of the 6.5-inch screen, and it's one of the slickest implementations of proximity sensors I've seen in a car. I tried to confuse it by moving both hands toward the screen, but the system didn’t even flinch. The menu bar stayed up regardless of whether or not I flashed one hand or both at the infotainment system.

The Golf R also comes with all the technophile bells and whistles you could want, including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as VW’s Car-Net Apps. It also comes with optional Driver’s Assistance Package ($1,295) that gives you adaptive cruise control, blind spot monitoring, and lane departure warning. It even has Park Pilot, which can help you get into a parking spot with little to no effort on your part.

Overall, the VW Golf R is a lust-worthy car in today’s world of good-but-often-milquetoast offerings. It’s a sleeper with power and kick, and while it’s not cheap, it’s worth its scratch in smiles and enjoyment.